Sacred Lama Dances chhm in Sechen Monastry March 25,2010 Part one

part two

Back ground information on Lama Dances or CHAM At the end of every Tibetan Year, and the begging of every new one at Shechen Monastries, both here in Nepal and in Eastern Tibet several nine day long ceremonies, called druchhen, are conducted. These rituals are spiritual practices calling practitioners to reflection, contemplation, prayer, and meditaion. Monks, nuns and lay people practiced together in the content of the texts recited along with the deep voiced chanting musical offerings from the long trumpets, bells, drums and chmbals, help to free the mind from discursive thoughts and bring it to a contemplative state. At the end of each drupchen the sand mandala created meticulously and specifically for that ritual was swept away as an indicationof the impermanence of all things. The powders gathered up have been thrown into a river so that all who use the eater animals or humans are blessed. What you see today is the culmination of this intense 5 or 6 week period of meditation. The monks are preparing the sacred dances as an expression of joy which comes from pacifying the emotions. The public performance of these dances is their spiritual gift to the lay community living around and involved with the monastery. “Cham” opens a window into the heart of Tibetan culture .the vision it provides of sacred world of the monks serves as a reminder to all, that the extraordinary cultural heritage of the land of snow is something worth saving .these dances, which originated in India and flourished for centuries in Tibet, are teaching stories . Every mask, costume, movement, and gesture has a specific significance and embodies the values of Buddhism. Dating back to the 9th century, when Guru padmasambhava introduced Buddhism to Tibet, the dances have been practiced and advanced through the ages by visionary experiences of great master. The dance festival or “tsechu”you see today is known as “the festival of the 10th day”, and is a spiritual and artistic celebration honoring the eight mani festations padmasambhava, particularly his coming to Tibet to establish Buddhism. When the monks dance, they are meditating. Achieving a pure vast and profound vision of the universe is the heart of Tibetan ritual and the basis for the practice of sacred dance . Such meditation uses various techniques of visualization, but essentially, the form of a deity is not a creator of god or even an independent entity, but a manifestation of our ultimate nature, which is wisdom . Deities are reflection of a purified vision of ourselves and other beings, and represent the different inherent qualities of enlightenment such as wisdom and compassion.